Deep well bridge



July 14, 1936. H. H. GREENE DEEP WELL BRIDGE Filed March 18, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG, 3

. INVENTOR Agf//Q/w//e BY 2 AT ORNEY My M, E936. H. H. GREENE 7,7m

DEEP WELL BRDGE Filed March 18, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CRNEYPatented July 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,047,774 naar WELLnaman Howard H. Greene, Oklahoma City, kla.

Application March 18, 1935, Serial No. 11.579

8 Claims. (Cl. 10B-4) The invention relates to the deep well art andconsists in a bridging device for plugging the well near the bottomthereof, or near any other support therefor.

One of the objects of the invention is to facilitate the lowering of abridge device to the bottom of the well irrespective of the presence ofwater, oil, .or gas in the well. The present bridge contemplates the useof a canvas or other exible sheeting to form a pocket for pluggingmaterial, and it is another object of the invention'to avoid thecatching or fraying of such material by engaging the sides of the casingor bore as the device is lowered in the well.

Bridge devices of the general type involved are frequently lowered into`the well with explosive charges suspended therefrom, and it is a furtherobject of the invention to enable the device to be lowered or raisedthroughout the well depth irrespective of the presence of such a chargeor other weight.

A bridging device of the general type referred to, particularly whenplugging material has been poured into the well to rest upon the bridge,has

a substantial vertical extent and a detonating,

bomb resting on top of the bridge or the plug might not aect the mainexplosive charge below the bridge. It is a further object of theinvention to insure the firing of the main explosive discharge eventhough the detonating bomb is spaced a substantial distance therefrom..

Another object of the invention is to provide a rm support for a timebomb, or other detonating charge, on top of the bridge, or in someinstances to firmly support a second bridge resting upon the top of thefirst bridge.

In the accompanying .drawings illustrating the invention- Figure 1 is alongitudinal section through the outer housing of the device, theinnerparts being shown in elevation.. The figure illustrates the device withall of the parts assembled and inv position to be lowered into the well.

Figure 2 illustrates the device with the outer housing removed, aportion of the inner part being sectioned.

Figure 3 illustrates the device in operating position at the bottom of awell.

Figure 4 illustrates a modified form of the device.

Figure 5 illustrates another modified construction.

The device as illustrated in Figures 1,- 2, and 3 includes an inner bodymember I comprising an elongated tube of relatively small diameterhaving an upstanding rigid bail 2 at its upper ena whereby the devicemay be suspended, and a depending bail 3 at its lower end to which amain explosive may be attached. The lower end of tube I also has acup-like collar I which receives l and frictionally engages an o uterhousing 5 having an open bottom and having a suspension bail 6 at itsupper end. y

A plurality of spring wires 1 are secured to the lower portion of body land these wires tend l( to thrust their upper ends outwardly, as shownin Figures 2 and 3. A sheet or'web 8 of canvas, or similar flexiblematerial, is applied over wires 1 much as the covering of an umbrella isapplied to the ribs thereof. Wires 1 and web 8 may be l5 folded orretracted and confined within housing 5, as illustrated in Figure 1.

'During lowering of the device into a well, the same is suspended bybail 2 engaged by hook 9 carried on the ordinary line I0, and a main ex-2( plosive charge D is attached to the lower bail 3. During suchlowering, the connection Il between line I0 and bail 6 on the housinghas no function.

If the bottom of the device comes to rest upon a rm support, furtherlowering of line I0 will dis- 25 engage hook 9 from bail 2 andsubsequent raising of line I 0 will cause housing 5 to be pulled out ofthe cup 4 and disassembled from the remainder of the device, permittingthe wires 'I to expand and, with fabric 8, form a substantial 3gpartition or closure for the well. Housing 5 may then be withdrawn androck, sand. or other dbris poured into the well to form a plug, as shownin Figure 3.

A time bomb, as indicated at I2, or a drop squib may be lowered into thewell to detonate the explosive charge D, and in such an explosion thebridge and plug will serve to prevent dissipation of the force of theexplosion upwardly and will also serve to prevent mud and. other, dbrisfrom 4t being forced into the oil sand or productive formation by theexplosion.

Preferably the inner body member will be filled with explosive E whichserves to insure the discharge of the main explosive massD by thedetonating device irrespective of the fact that there may be severalfeet of plugging material separating the main charge and the detonator.If for'any reason it is desired not to use this feature of the device,the tube can be lled with ballast material to facilitate the lowering ofthe device through oil, water, and mud'.

The device illustrated in Figure 4l involves a substantially larger bodytube I5 which may be filled with explosive material and form in itselfhe main explosive charge, the bridge forming vires I6 and fabric I1being moimted preferably n the upper portion of the body l5 and thehousng I8 being substantially shorter than the main ody i5v but longenough to receive and confine he bridge forming elements I6 and I5.

This device is' shown in position to shatter aY trata S of sand whichdoes not extend to-the ottom of the well, the device being supported inelevated position by an anchor bar I9 as long as iec'essary to positionthe device as desired.

' The device is lowered into the well, the' housing 'emoved, and theexplosive discharge similarly to he operations described i'n connectionwith the '.howing of Figures 1 vto 3.

- Figure illustrates the invention embodied in a imc bomb adapted todetonate a main explosive xharge. In this structure the tubular body 20iouses a battery 2| and lclocl: 22, and wiring. iercussion-cap andprimer equipment (not l.hown such as are used in bombs of this general;ype, and thisA portion of the device may embody ;he structureillustrated, for example, in Winder t Murrow Patent 1,686,481. The lowerportion 23 if the body will house a detonating charge. 'Ihe Lpringelements 24 and fabric 25 will be confined :y the housing 26 duringlowering of the ldevice ind will be released and form a bridge in a man-1er similar to that previously described. The nain explosive charge maybe suspended from ;he bomb-bridge by a bail 21, or the main charge 3--Dmay have been lowered into the well preliously to the lowering of thebridge, and more :han one of such main charge cartridges may lave beenlowered into the well and supported at iiiferent depths by using dierentlengths of an- :hor rods 28.

In this device, the weight of the bomb will be aimaient to resist thefrictional engagement of ibe housing 26 by the ribs 24 so that thehousing nay be pulled up oif the remainder of the device Liter the hook29 is disengaged from the bomb )all 30.

In all forms of the'device, the spring elements ind the fabric attachedthereto pass through the vell without contact with the sides thereof and:annot be injured or catch in such manner as to 'elease the weight onthe cable and thereby de ach the suspension hook before the desireddepth s reached. A g

If it is desired to build up an explosive charge if greater depth thanprovided by cartridges, the elongated central tube of the bridge device,being illed with explosive, forms a continuous Adetonatng medium whichwould not be present if ordilary bridge structure were used, such as maybe :'oerlllned by lowering yielding tree forks into the v These andother objects and advantages obrious to those skilled in the art areattained by :he use of my invention, which may be embodied n forms otherthan the modifications illustrated, ind I contemplate the exclusive useof all modiii- :ations coming within the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. In a deep well bridge device, elements ar- 'anged to expand laterallyto engage the sides of he well, a web between said elements arranged toiartition the well when said elements expand,Y a rtructure normallyenclosing-and coniiningsaid elements and web, and means for effectingwithlrawal of said structure from said elements and web after the devicehas been lowered into the vell.

2. In a deep well bridge device, a rigid body member, spring elementsthereon tending to spread outwardly from said member to engage the sidesof the well, a web between said elements arranged to partition the wellwhen said elements spread outwardly, a housing of less diameter than thewell normally receiving said body member and conning said elements, andmeans for removing said housing after the device has been lowered intothe well.V A

3. In a deep well bridge device, an inner member, structure on saidmember including spring construction tending to thrust portions of thestructure outwardly from said member, an open bottom tubular housingreceiving said inner member and confining said structure in positionclosely alongside of said inner member, elements for suspending saidinner member from a line, said ele-,- ments being disengageable upondownward movement of said line relative to said member, and meansconnecting said line with said housing whereby the latter may be pulledup and separated from said innerumember when said suspending elementsare disengaged thereby releasing said spring structure so it may engagethe between said member and housing to yieldingly hold them in assembledrelation, and means for lowering and operating the device, said loweringmeans beingv normally attached to. said inner member but constructed andarranged to be disengaged therefrom upon interruption of the downwardmovement of the device, and a connection between said line and housingfor raising said housing and separating the same from said memberagainst the frictional engagement thereof after said means has beendisengaged.

5. In a deep well bridge device, a body member forming a substantiallyclosed compartment for receiving loose material, spring ribs extendinglongitudinally and outwardly from said body mem.- ber, an apron ofcanvas or similar flexible material applied to said ribs so as to bespread by the latter when they expand, a housing slidable over said bodymember, ribs, and apron with said ribs andvapron in folded andcompressed position, means for lowering said parts assembled asdescribed into a deep well and then removing said housing to releasesaid ribs and apron to form a bridge across the well.

6. In a deep well bridge device; an elongated 'tubular' body forcontaining a detonating charge,

outwardly thrusting spring elements' secured to said body, flexiblesheet material Acarried by said elements, said elements and materialnormally functioning to form a bridge, means at the lower, end of saidbody for suspending a main explosive charge, a line connection at theupper end of said body, a housing for enclosing and confining saidspring elements and sheet material so they cannot function as described,and means operable when iemnvlnssaidnousmgfrom sani body and element;

in the well o met said structule to fom e spread by the letter when theyspring outwardly, bridge. a reef elideble over sad member, ribs, and

8. in a deep wel bridge device, e central memapron with mid rbs andapron in retracted pesiber of substantially less diameter than the Wellia tion. means for lowering seid parte assembled as 5 which the deviceis to be used, spying ribs extenddescribed into a deep We!! end thenoperable 'to ing longitudinally of the exterior of seid member reee seidribs and apron to :2mm e, paritoning and tending to spring outwardly r-f' el e, bridge ecxosse we, exibe apron famed by said aos so es te beHOWARD H.

